


Basking in the Sun

by SquishiChaos



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Beach fun, M/M, Stuff, and Yen Sid, mentioned Roxas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-28 05:24:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18749884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquishiChaos/pseuds/SquishiChaos
Summary: It's their first break in a while and Riku expects it'll be just like every other time they've sat together on this here beach.  He's wrong.  Again.





	Basking in the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> In the ongoing series of Prompts from my Tumblr--here, this one is for a Soriku anon.
> 
> Based on the Prompt: Soriku fic in which sora and riku are just chilling on the beach after a rough day

Watching Sora collapse back against the dense sand was just the cherry on top of a  _perfect_  day, and by perfect, Riku meant  _horrible_  in every single way possible. 

Their morning had started the same way every morning started these days: up before the sun, forcing a quick breakfast down their throats, and heading off to begin training before the stars had a chance to go out and herald a new day.   

In the earliest moments of a dark morning–when the moon was still shining and the sun’s rays just beginning to dip along the horizon in a golden glow–the flash of their keyblades being summoned provided a wakefulness that felt fake after spending half their evening doing  _the exact same thing_. 

_That’s the burden of being a Master._ Riku could still hear the lecture fresh in his mind, even after weeks without Yen Sid saying a word to either of them.  After all the hard work they’d  _both_  put into training–and, ya know,  _saving the world_ –it had felt like a slap in the face.   He hadn’t expected a break–still didn’t–but it would be  _nice_  if someone didn’t treat them–for once–like this was their first rodeo.  

“What’s with that sour face?” Sora asked on a groan as he rolled onto his stomach.  Riku was too tired to stifle a laugh at the many sandy grains stuck in his hair.  Sora chuckled, too.   “ _Hey_!  That was a serious question!  Don’t try and dodge it!”

“I wasn’t!  You’re just  _covered_  in sand.”

An impish grin split the Brunet’s lips.  “That’s  _another_  deflection.  C’mon, share with the class!”

Rolling his eyes, Riku stretched his legs out before him and balanced his top half on straight elbows behind him.  “Just tired is all.  You’d think getting up at the ass-crack of dawn would get easier with time–”

“But it doesn’t.”  No, it really didn’t.   Not when the two of them went to bed with blisters on their extremities, exhausted and broken.   Not even their surplus of potions could help the level of  _sore_  they teetered on.   “This morning, Donald practically had to drag me out the door.  Said if I didn’t get up, he’d go get Roxas and I was  _not_  about that life.” 

“No, I can’t imagine anyone is, especially after  _Donald_  woke him up to wake someone  _else_  up.  At that point, I’d rather just face the Organization all alone; I’d stand a better chance.” 

Sora’s laugh was breathy and soft with only a twinge of the fatigue still latching tight to his normally upbeat voice.  “Yeah, he can be scary when he wants to be, but we all can be.   You know, I successfully cast  _ultima_  the other day.” 

“You did?  How was it?” 

“Terrifying.”  Though a smile still captured his lips, the rest of his expression was a barren wasteland.   “I almost destroyed Merlin’s study.”

“Really?   _Wow_ …”  When Riku had tried his hand at that spell, he’d barely managed to dent a table, let alone  _destroy_  something.    _Sora’s really come a long way_ … “Guess I should add you to my  _don’t piss off_  list.” 

“Wait, you mean I wasn’t already on it?” He scoffed.

“Why  _would_  you be?”  Sora sat up in an instant, raining a downpour of sand from the depths of his unruly hair.   Atop that normally charged smile was a challenge in cerulean eyes.

It had Riku’s chest clenching with an emotion he  _really_  wished would leave him the fuck alone.  “Excuse you, I handed you your ass back in the day!”

“Yeah, when we were like  _fourteen_!  We both know I win about 99% of our spars–then  _and_  now.” 

“Because it’s a  _spar_!  I don’t wanna  _hurt_  you!” 

“Excuses, excuses.”    Riku watched that pout form from the corner of his eye, obscuring the bright fluorescence of a smile and replacing it with a glare of conviction.   Every fiber of his being wanted to reach over and kiss the expression back to sunshine and rainbows–to tell him,  _just kidding.  You’re at the top of all my lists_ –but he couldn’t.  

He just  _couldn’t_.  “C’mon, Riku!  I can  _totally_ –”

“I know you can.”  He hoped his attempt at a smile didn’t look lovesick in any way, but who the hell was he kidding?  It definitely was.    _Good thing Sora is so fucking dense_.  “I’m just teasing.” 

“Aww,  _Riku_!  But I was looking forward to another spar!” 

“ _How_?  We’ve literally been sparring  _all day_ , and I know for a fact I am not that interesting of a person.” 

“I think you’re interesting!”   _Of course you do.  You see the good in everyone.  Please, just let me have this one thing.  This one reason why you can’t like me.   You’re not the one who needs excuses, Sora_.  “You’ve survived so much!”

“Yeah, and so have you.  Everyone’s a survivor of something.”  Letting himself fall back against the cooling sands, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.   

A light shift of sand screamed in his ears, displacing shards in a dip of weight beside his head.   Close enough he felt compelled to open his eyes after only a second or two to see what Sora could  _possibly_  be doing now.

That.

Was a mistake.

Bright blue sapphires stared back like a second ocean lapping at the shore of his world, drawing him deeper into their waves to drown in the picturesque scene that stopped the gasp where it began in his chest and choked it right back down.  Grains of sand counted each rapid beat of his heart in a chaotic descent with each steady, caring breath Sora drew.   Bent over him–close enough Riku barely had to lift his hand to caress his cheek–with an elbow bent on either side of his head, that worried grin looked less like a welcome visitor and more like an unwanted intruder.  

No sunrise or sunset would ever compare to the sight of Sora this up close and personal.   He  _was_  his sun.  His breath.  His  _life_.  

God, he…

He  _loved_  him.   

“Riku…you’re amazing, you know that right?” No, he wasn’t.  He was weak. So, so, so, so, so,  _so_  weak.  “Don’t let those words get you down, okay?  I don’t care what Yen Side says.  You’ll always be the greatest Master in my heart!” 

He was  _way_  too close to be saying such things.  Especially when Riku’s chest was already too tight to begin with.  He wasn’t getting enough oxygen to think clearly, nor his heart functioning well enough to deliver it even if he  _was_.   

God, he took his earlier statement back.   He’d rather face an angry  _Roxas_  than  _ever_  deal with  _this_.  

And now that he hadn’t answered, Sora just wouldn’t  _stop_!  “You’re smart and strong and you’re always so cool!  Literally, you’re probably the coolest person here, but you’re also  _super_  kind and considerate.  Like that time you spent a whole  _week_  training with Xion to help her fix her form, or that other time you sat with Aqua all night after she had that nightmare!  You’re a  _really_  good friend, Riku, and you really shouldn’t put yourself down so–”

He couldn’t  _take it_ , anymore.  “What about  _you_?   You’re a fucking  _miracle worker_ , Sora!  Stop praising me like I’m the sun when it’s really you!” 

“Riku!”

“No!  Don’t  _Riku_  me!  I  _hear_  the way you talk about yourself, Sora.    Your friends aren’t your only  _power_ , they’re just a  _piece_  of it.  The  _real_  seat of that power is  _you_.   _You’re_  the one who deserved to be Master–long before I did–and don’t you  _dare_  try and refute me!  I will  _literally_  do everything in my power to shut you up if you even  _try_!” 

“But–”  Well, can’t say he didn’t warn him.  

A part of him expected resistance when his hands flew up to plush cheeks.  Expected those brilliant clear skies to widen with the inclement threat of rain clouds.  That Sora might reel back in a panic or ask him what the  _hell_  he was doing?  

But he didn’t.   He didn’t say a  _goddamn word_  as Riku saw lily green reflected atop still ponds the closer he drew.  Didn’t utter a sound or even blink as his eyelids fluttered shut and he slotted their lips together.  

This was the moment where it happened.   

You know the one.   

When the shock wears off and the realization dawns.   Where Sora  _finally_  gets back into a head space to recognize Riku is  _kissing_  him and shove him away.   Maybe, if he’s kind enough, he’ll do it hard enough–he knows he can–to smash his skull on the beach and leave him there to bleed out.  

But it  _doesn’t_.   _Fuck!_   

_Great_ , he thought,  _I fell asleep again.  This is just a dream, right?  And when I open my eyes, Sora is going to be drawing–_ the thoughts died as creamy lids peeled away from solid green and peered at the image of absolute peace.  Of dark eyelashes casting shadows where they  _do not belong_  below the curve of closed eyes.   The hint of a smile still pressed tight to his own line of confusion, threatening to move with him if he dares take that leap. 

And when he drew back–breathless and terrified–he didn’t miss the trace of disappointment that turned a soft smile right into a frown. 

“I’m–”

“If you apologize, I’m gonna practice Ultima on you, I swear to Kingdom Hearts, Riku.”  

“But, I–”

“As much as I  _love_  watching you babble, Riku, please, just…shut up? For me?”  With the first hint of nerves, Sora closed the gap between them this time and pressed into the kiss with a care that betrayed the restraint shaking through the rest of him.   Felt it in the fingers that played at the silver strands of his hair where they mingled with the sand and in the hesitant attempt to deepen it. 

Riku had imagined this  _so many different ways_ –none of them were like  _this_.  Most of them ended with him rejected and crying, a few of them with a broken jaw, and one or two with Sora being nice enough to let him dream before he licked his lips and told him,  _Sorry, Riku, but I don’t feel the same.  Can we just be friends?_

Never.  Not  _once_.  Had he  _ever_  imagined  _this_.  

Maybe that’s why Sora pulled back and looked down at him, blue shaded navy in–was that fear?  Of  _what?!_   “Riku…this is okay…right?”

“Yes.”  Long fingers were in brunet spikes before Sora could even think to respond, dragging him back down and into a bruising liplock as the adrenaline finally took control of his actions.    Urged him to ride this wave of confidence with a lap of tongue against pliant lips, practically choking on the grateful sound the Brunet breathed into his mouth.  

After memorizing his taste and mapping every inch, he finally drew back far enough to take in a shaky gasp.  He almost– _almost_ –gave in when Sora tried to reconnect them, but he kept his grip firm enough and resolve checked in to holding him at bay.  

The Brunet groaned and let his forehead fall against his chin in frustration.  “Are you serious right now?!  Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”

“No.  Tell me.”

“ _Seriously?!_  Are you just being a jerk again or are you for  _real_?”  When blue met green, Riku didn’t waver.   The innocent blink that answered him almost stopped his heart.  “You  _really_  didn’t know?”

“Uh,  _no_.  I thought you had it bad for Kairi.   _Everyone_  did!”

A bark of a laugh escaped Sora in a sound that hammered at his heart.  “Not Donald and Goofy.  They’ve seen every embarrassing swoon and lovesick fawn.  Believe me, there were a  _lot_.” 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Well…” Blue diverted to the ground as Sora licked his lips and shrugged his shoulders.  “I figured, ya know, that you had more important things to–”

“Sora.  You are  _literally_  the most important thing in my life.” 

“Don’t say that–”

“Why not?  It’s true.”  

“But Riku!”  Sitting up so he couldn’t be silenced by more cheap tricks, Sora fell back on his haunches and heaved a sigh.  “What’s so great about me?”

“With all due respect,” he muttered while rolling onto his stomach and rising to his hands and knees, glare  _firmly_  in place, “don’t you ever say that around me–no, just  _ever_ –again.”  

“But–”

“Sora, listen.  I don’t care what anyone else says.  For me, there is no light brighter–no person  _stronger–_ than you.  When I stole your keyblade and your friends, you  _still_  came to get it back and put me in my right mind, and you  _did_.  When the idiots at Castle Oblivion tried to wipe your memories and turn you into a puppet, you felled them all and  _saved my clone_  at the same time!  You not  _only_  defeated an entire horde of heartless and nobodies–by yourself!–but you also helped defeat Xemnas and were willing despite  _everything_  to spend the rest of your life with me in the realm of darkness if it meant protecting your friends.  So, please, don’t you  _dare_  ask me again,  _what’s so great about me_ , because the answer is  _everything_.” 

“Wow…”  A shy laugh fell off familiar lips as Sora crossed his legs and seated his arms between them like a child looking up at their idol.   A bright smile captured his expression and lit his eyes like the mid-day ocean glittering just feet from them.  “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say, Riku.” 

“A…are you  _serious_?   _That’s_  what you got from all that?”

Kind eyes squeezed shut in a wide, toothy grin as his head tilted a little bit to the side.   No camera in the  _world_  could hope to capture that much beauty.  “And that you love me!”

“Sora!”  

A giggle fell off the Brunet’s lips as he gracefully jumped to his feet and pivoted toward the wide-open beach around them.  “C’mon, Riku!  Last one to our Special Place is the loser!”  Without even waiting for him to stand up, he took off with a hearty laugh and another of those heart-stopping smiles over his shoulder. 

With a shake of his head, Riku slowly got to his feet and scratched the sand from his hair.  “How did I fall for such an idiot?”

“Hey!  Apologize you meanie!”

A smirk shifted his expression just before a laugh tore through it.  “Only if you beat me.  Think you can manage that, Sora?”

“Bring it on!” 

And together, they raced off along the sunlit stretch of beach.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :D
> 
> Join me in Kingdom Hearts Hell @SquiishiiChaos on Tumblr


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